Which Numbers Will The Public Ride? The FNN Poll Revisited

FNN is notable among Japanese polls because it takes a survey every week, unlike other media outlets, which only take polls once a month and after any major political event that may turn out to be a tipping point. So, no daily tracking polls. Anyway…

Would you believe that the Japanese electorate intends to vote 32.6% to 20.2% in favor of the DPJ over the LDP-Komeito coalition in the next House of Representatives general election? Actually, you already knew that if you have been reading this blog; I reminded you, here. I also told you that None of the Above (actually, Undecided, a big difference—my bad) reigned supreme at 42.6%.

Or…

Would you believe that the LDP-Komeito coalition beats the DOJ and the rest of the opposition 57.2% to 26.2% (16.6% undecided) among the Japanese electorate when it comes to the choice of Prime Minister Fukuda’s successor?

So who are you going to believe? FNN, or… FNN? That’s right. I got the second set of numbers by adding up the percentages in support of coalition Diet members or any coalition figure and did the same for the opposition.

The Japanese electorate is clearly disillusioned with the institutional status quo. It yearns for leadership, but nobody even talks the talk. So the grass is bone-dry, begging for a Napoleon, a Lincoln, a Hitler, to set it on fire. And yet we get… a bunch of sixty-something LDP and DPJ demi-leaders, waiting for Yasuo Fukuda or Ichiro Ozawa to trip up?

What’s become of the children?